Link Building Management

SEO Keyword Research Tools: Free and Paid Options with Expert SEO Tips to Boost Your Strategy

If you’re new to SEO, keyword research might feel like deciphering a foreign language. We’ve all been there. But once you get the hang of it, it’s a game-changer for your content strategy. Whether you’re trying to rank a blog post, optimize your product pages, or grow a new website, keywords are the magic ingredient. And the good news? There are some fantastic tools—free and paid—that make the process way easier.

Here’s a breakdown of the best SEO keyword research tools in 2025. I’ll also share tips along the way to help you get the most out of them. Let’s get started!

Launching a new website is exciting, but ensuring it ranks well in search engines is crucial for attracting visitors and achieving your digital marketing goals. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the important element in getting your website seen by search engines and potential customers.

In this guide, we’ll cover the essential steps you need to take to improve your site’s ranking and visibility. By following a structured approach, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the complexities of SEO and achieve success online.

Step #1
Conduct Thorough Keyword Research

Keyword research is important for any successful SEO strategy. It involves a detailed process of identifying and analyzing the search terms and phrases that potential visitors use when looking for information, products, or services related to your website.

Understanding these search terms allows you to craft your website content to match your audience’s needs and preferences, enhancing your chances of ranking higher in search engine results.

» Importance of Keyword Research

Effective keyword research helps you know what your audience is searching for and ensures that your website content is aligned with those queries. By identifying the appropriate keywords, you can attract relevant traffic to your site, improve engagement, and ultimately drive conversions.

» Tools for Keyword Research

Managing local SEO for multiple locations comes with its own set of difficulties, including maintaining consistency across listings, creating location-specific content, and handling reviews. These challenges can be mitigated with a well-structured approach and the right tools.

• Google Keyword Planner: This is a free Keyword Planner tool that helps you find new keywords, showing search volume, competition, and trends. It’s applicable for both Google Ads and organic search.
• Ahrefs: Offers detailed keyword research with difficulty scores, search volume, and click-through rates. Its extensive database and advanced filters help identify high-potential keywords and evaluate competition.
• SEMrush: Provides a comprehensive keyword research toolkit, including difficulty analysis, search volume trends, and competitive insights. It also reveals keywords your competitors are targeting, highlighting opportunities and gaps in your strategy.

» Choosing Relevant Keywords

• Search Volume and Competition: Target keywords with high search volume and manageable competition. High volume shows popularity, while low competition indicates easier ranking. Use tools to find keywords with substantial volume but low competition.
• Relevance to Your Niche: Choose keywords that align closely with your website’s content, products, or services. For example, a digital marketing blog might target terms like “SEO strategies” or “content marketing tips.”
• Long-Tail Keywords: Use longer, more specific phrases with lower competition and higher intent. For example, “best SEO tools for small businesses” is more targeted than “SEO tools.”
• User Intent: Identify the intent behind keywords—informational (seeking knowledge), navigational (specific site), or transactional (purchase intent). Craft your website content to complement the intent of your targeted keywords.

» Can I Rank a Website Without SEO?

While it’s technically possible to rank a website without traditional SEO practices, it’s doubtful that you’ll achieve high rankings or significant traffic without them. SEO helps search engines comprehend your site and ensures that your content is relatable to users’ search queries. Without SEO, your website may struggle to appear in search results, limiting your visibility and potential audience.

Step #2
Optimize Your Website’s On-Page SEO

On-page SEO involves optimizing various elements on your site to enhance search engine ranking and user experience. By focusing on these key areas, you can help search engines determine and index your content more effectively.

» Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

Both title tags and meta descriptions are vital for both search engines and users. Create unique, compelling titles that incorporate relevant keywords to make your pages more discoverable. The meta description should provide a short but brief summary of the page’s content and include primary keywords, as they appear in search results and can influence click-through rates.

» Headers and Subheaders (H1, H2, H3)

Headers classify your content and make it easier for search engines and audiences to recognize the structure of your page. Use H1 tags for your title, and H2 and H3 tags for subheadings and sub-subheadings. Include relevant keywords into these headers to highlight the key topics of your content and improve keyword relevance.

» URL Structure

A clean and descriptive URL structure helps search engines and users explore your site more effectively. Use short, meaningful URLs that include relevant keywords and avoid unnecessary parameters or complex structures.

For example, a URL like www.example.com/digital-marketing-tips is more user-friendly and SEO-friendly than www.example.com/page123.

» Internal Linking

Internal links bridge different web pages on your site, helping users find related content and improving overall navigation. They also help distribute page authority throughout your site. Link to other relevant pages within your web content using descriptive anchor text, which can boost the visibility of other pages and improve your site’s overall SEO.

» Image Alt Text

Alt text (alternative text) provides an interpretation of the images on your website, which helps search engines determine the content of the photos. Use descriptive and keyword-rich alt text for each image to improve visibility in image search results and enhance accessibility for users.

As an example, instead of “image1.jpg,” use “digital-marketing-strategy-infographic.”

Step #3
Create High-Quality, Engaging Content

When it comes to SEO, your content is highly vital. Crafting high-quality, engaging content is essential for attracting visitors, retaining their interest, and improving your search engine rankings.

Here’s how to ensure your content stands out:

» Content Quality

High-quality content is valuable, relevant, and well-crafted. Aim to provide in-depth information that addresses your audience’s questions and needs. This means creating content that is not only informative but also insightful and actionable. Avoid thin or superficial content and instead focus on delivering comprehensive answers, useful tips, and unique perspectives that differentiate your content from the competition.

» Types of Content

Diversify your content offerings to engage different segments of your audience. Consider incorporating various formats such as:

• Blog Posts: Regularly updated blog posts can drive traffic, build authority, and address trending topics or common questions in your industry.
• Articles: In-depth articles provide detailed analysis and expert insights, which can position you as a thought leader and attract a more targeted audience.
• Infographics: Visual representations of data or concepts can simplify complex information and increase shareability.
• Videos: Engaging videos can capture attention quickly and provide dynamic, visual explanations or demonstrations of your products or services.
• Case Studies: Real-life success stories and examples can showcase your knowledge and the effectiveness of your solutions.

Step #4
Build a Strong Backlink Profile

Backlinks, or inbound links, are crucial for enhancing your website’s authority. These links from other reputable sites signal to search engines that your website content is informative and trustworthy. Here’s how to effectively build a robust backlink profile:

Also Read: How High-Quality Backlinks Play a Role in SEO Success

» Acquiring Backlinks

To establish a strong backlink profile, focus on strategies that involve earning high-quality links from authoritative sources:

• Guest Blogging: Write and contribute articles to reputable blogs and websites in your industry. In return, you can incorporate a link back to your site within the content, which can drive traffic and enhance your site’s credibility.
• Influencer Outreach: Partner with influencers or industry leaders who can link to your website. Their endorsement can not only provide valuable backlinks but also increase your site’s visibility and credibility.
• Content Promotion: Create valuable, shareable content that naturally attracts links. Infographics, comprehensive guides, and original research can attract attention from other sites wanting to reference or share your content.
• Broken Link Building: Find broken links on other websites and suggest your own content as a replacement. This approach can help you earn backlinks while assisting site owners in fixing their broken links.

» Avoid Black-Hat Tactics

To ensure your backlink-building efforts are effective and sustainable, avoid unethical practices that can lead to penalties:

• Buying Links: Purchasing backlinks from low-quality or dubious sources can lead to search engine penalties. Focus on earning links through genuine and legitimate methods.
• Link Farms are networks of sites designed solely to create backlinks. Links from such sources are typically low-quality and can harm your site’s reputation and ranking.
• Spammy Techniques: Avoid tactics like excessive link exchanges or using automated tools to generate backlinks. These methods can be flagged by search engines and may negatively impact your SEO.

Step #5
Ensure Your Website is Mobile-Friendly

With mobile device usage continuing to rise, having a mobile-friendly website is important for providing a consistent user experience and improving your search engine rankings. Here’s how to ensure your site meets mobile optimization standards:

» Mobile Optimization

Test how well your site operates on mobile devices by using tools such as Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. This tool evaluates whether your site is easy to use on mobile devices, checking for issues like text readability, touch element spacing, and viewport configuration. Address any identified problems to enhance usability and ensure your site meets mobile standards.

» Responsive Design

Create a responsive website design to make sure your site modifies to different screen sizes and devices. A responsive design adjusts the layout, images, and content to fit different screen widths, providing an optimal viewing experience on smartphones, tablets, and desktops. Critical practices for responsive design include:

• Fluid Grid Layouts: Use flexible grid-based layouts that scale seamlessly across different devices.
• Flexible Images: Ensure images resize appropriately without causing layout issues on smaller screens.
• Media Queries: Employ CSS media queries to apply different techniques based on device characteristics, such as screen size and orientation.

Step #6
Improve Website Loading Speed

Your website loading speed is a vital factor that impacts both SEO and user experience. A slow-loading site can lead to an increase in bounce rates, lower user engagement, and diminished search engine rankings. Here’s how to ensure your website loads quickly and efficiently:

» Testing Speed

Begin by evaluating your website’s loading speed using performance analysis tools.

• Google PageSpeed Insights: This tool provides detailed insights into your site’s performance on both mobile and desktop devices. It highlights areas for improvement and offers recommendations to enhance speed.
• GTmetrix: GTmetrix evaluates your site’s performance and generates a comprehensive report with recommendations. It assesses various aspects of loading speed and provides a visual breakdown of performance metrics.

» Improving Speed

Implement several strategies to enhance your site’s loading time:

• Optimize Images: Large image files can significantly slow down your site. Compress and resize images to lessen their file size without sacrificing quality. Use formats like WebP or JPEG 2000 for better compression.
• Leverage Browser Caching: Configure browser caching to store static files (like images, CSS, and JavaScript) locally on users’ devices. This decreases the need for repeated downloads on subsequent visits, speeding up page load times.
• Minimize Server Response Times: Optimize your server’s performance by choosing a trusted hosting provider and using techniques like content delivery networks (CDNs) to distribute your content closer to users. Regularly track server response times and address any issues that may cause delays.
• Minify and Combine Files: Reduce the size of your CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files by deleting unnecessary characters and merging multiple files into a single file. This minimizes the number of HTTP requests and speeds up loading times.
• Enable Compression: Using Gzip or Brotli compression to reduce the size of your files as they are sent from the server to the browser can significantly cut down on load times, especially for text-based files.

Step #7
Set Up Google Analytics and Search Console

Tracking and analyzing your website’s performance is crucial for maintaining and improving SEO success. Setting up and effectively utilizing Google Analytics and Google Search Console will provide details on how your website is performing and help you make data-driven decisions.

» Setup

• Google Analytics: Create a Google Analytics account and integrate it with your website by adding the provided tracking code to your site’s pages. This tool tracks user interactions, including page views, session duration, and conversion rates, allowing you to understand how visitors engage with your content.
• Google Search Console: Sign up for Google Search Console and verify ownership of your website. This tool helps monitor and manage your site’s presence in Google search results. Once verified, you can submit sitemaps, track indexing status, and receive alerts about possible issues affecting your site’s performance.

» Key Metrics

• Traffic Sources: Identify where your visitors come from—organic search, direct traffic, social media, or referrals. This helps you identify which pages are most effective and where to concentrate your marketing efforts.
• Bounce Rate: Monitor the visit percentage of users who leave after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate may suggest issues with content relevance, user experience, or page speed, guiding necessary improvements.
• Keyword Performance: Track how well your targeted keywords are driving traffic and ranking. Google Search Console shows which queries bring visitors to your site, helping refine your SEO strategy.
• User Behavior: Use Google Analytics to analyze which pages are most visited, how long users stay, and their navigation paths. This information helps identify popular content and areas for improvement.

Step #8
Implement a Strong Social Media Strategy

Social media is important for increasing traffic to your website and enhancing your SEO efforts. To leverage it effectively, develop a comprehensive strategy that includes consistent posting, active engagement with followers, and seamless integration with your website.

Use social media to showcase your content and attract visitors, thereby boosting your SEO by increasing traffic and visibility.

Step #9
Ensure Technical SEO is Up to Date

Technical SEO focuses on optimizing your site’s backend to enhance its crawlability and indexability. Key aspects to address include:

• XML Sitemaps: Ensure your sitemaps are updated and submitted to search engines for better indexing.
• Robots.txt Files: Configure these files to guide search engine crawlers on which pages to access or avoid.
• Site Hierarchy: Maintain a clear, logical site structure to facilitate easy navigation and indexing.

Use tools like Screaming Frog and Sitebulb to identify and fix technical SEO issues, ensuring your site is fully optimized for search engines.

Step #10
Monitor and Adjust Your SEO Strategy Regularly

Your website SEO strategy requires regular monitoring and adjustments to sustain and improve your rankings. Utilize tools like Google Analytics and SEMrush to track your website’s performance and pinpoint areas for improvement. Based on the data, make informed adjustments to your strategy, adapting to performance trends and evolving search engine algorithms to keep your site optimized and competitive.

Is it Hard to Rank a New Website?

Ranking a new website can be challenging due to several factors, including competition, the age of the domain, and the depth of existing content. New sites often need more authority and backlinks of established competitors, making it harder to rank initially. However, with a strategic approach to SEO, including thorough keyword research, quality content creation, and effective backlink building, you can gradually improve your site’s ranking.

Also Read: Boost Your Business with Local SEO Strategies to Attract More Customers

How Can I Rank My Website Fast?

While there’s no guaranteed way to achieve rapid results, you can speed up the process by focusing on several key areas:

• On-Page Optimization: Ensure your site is well-optimized with relevant keywords, quality content, and a user-friendly design.
• High-Quality Backlinks: Build backlinks from reputable sources to boost your site’s authority and visibility.
• Content Marketing: Create and promote high-quality content to attract visitors and encourage sharing.
• Technical SEO: Address any technical issues and optimize your site’s performance.
• Local SEO: If applicable, focus on local SEO strategies to improve visibility in your area.

The Takeaway

Ranking a newly launched website requires a comprehensive approach to SEO. By following these ten steps, from conducting keyword research to monitoring and adjusting your strategy, you’ll be well on your way to achieving better search engine rankings and driving more traffic to your site. For a successful SEO campaign, it’s essential to implement SEO best practices and continuously refine your approach.

Don’t wait to improve your website’s ranking! Contact GoMarketing for a free proposal and see how we can help your website rank higher and excel. Call us at 805-413-7893 or email info@GOMarketing.com. We’re here to support your journey to SEO success!

Local SEO

Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing your online visibility to attract more business from relevant local searches. For businesses with multiple locations, a well-developed local SEO strategy is crucial. It helps ensure each location is visible to potential customers in its specific area, enhancing overall visibility and driving targeted traffic.

This article will explore proven methods for managing local SEO across multiple locations. By implementing these proven strategies, you can boost your local search engine optimization, attract more local customers, and improve your overall online presence.

1. Understanding Local SEO for Multiple Locations

Definition and Importance

Local SEO is essential for businesses with various locations because it helps each branch stand out in local search results. Optimizing local SEO ensures that each location appears in relevant search queries, improving your chances of attracting local customers and increasing foot traffic.

Challenges

Managing local SEO for multiple locations comes with its own set of difficulties, including maintaining consistency across listings, creating location-specific content, and handling reviews. These challenges can be mitigated with a well-structured approach and the right tools.

2. Optimizing Your Google My Business (GMB) Listings

Creating and Claiming Listings

To start, claim and create a Google My Business (GMB) listing for each location. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

• High-Quality Content – Valuable content attracts and engages visitors. It should address user queries and stay current with trends. Regularly update content and use relevant keywords naturally to improve search relevance.
• Effective Keyword Usage – Keywords connect your content with what users are searching for. You can use SEO tools like Google Keyword Planner to find and strategically place high-value keywords.
• Quality Backlinks- Backlinks from reputable sites enhance your site’s authority and ranking. Build relationships with industry sites for guest posts and link-building opportunities.

Boosting Organic Traffic:

• Sign in to Google My Business.
• Click “Manage now” and type in your business name.
• Select “Add your business” if it doesn’t already exist.
• Follow the prompts to enter the business information for each location.
• Verify your listing via the verification method provided by Google (e.g., mail, phone).

Consistent NAP Information

Consistency is key. Ensure that the Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) for each location are accurate and consistent across all online platforms. This consistency helps Google understand your business’s location and improves local search rankings.

Category Selection

Choose the most relevant categories for each location based on the services or products offered. Accurate category selection helps Google categorize your business correctly and match it with relevant search queries.

Managing Reviews

Respond to reviews for each location promptly and professionally. Engaging with customers through reviews helps build trust and can improve your local SEO performance. Encourage pleased customers to leave positive reviews and address any negative feedback constructively.

3. Local Keyword Research and Targeting

Keyword Research Tools

Utilize keyword research tools like Moz, Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to find local keywords relevant to each location. Focus on phrases that include location-specific terms, such as “plumber in [city]” or “coffee shop near [neighborhood].”

Creating Location-Specific Content

Incorporate these local keywords into your content strategy. Create location-specific pages on your website, write blog posts about local events or news, and use local keywords in your page titles, subtopic headings, and meta descriptions.

On-Page Optimization

Optimize each page for local SEO by including local keywords in page titles, meta descriptions, headers, and throughout the content. This helps search engines determine the visibility of your pages to local searches.

4. Building Local Citations and Listings

What Are Local Citations?

Local citations are online references that include your business’s Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP). They help search engines confirm your business’s existence and credibility. Consistent citations can improve local search rankings.

Citation Building Strategies

Build citations on local business directories, industry-specific sites, and relevant online platforms. Ensure that your NAP information is consistent across all citations to avoid confusion and potential penalties from search engines.

Monitoring and Updating Citations

Use tools like Moz Local or Yext to monitor and update your citations. Regularly check for accuracy and update any changes to your business information to maintain consistency and improve local SEO.

5. Localized Content Strategy

Creating Location-Specific Pages

Create tailored pages for each location on your website. Optimize these pages with local keywords, unique content about each location, and relevant images to enhance local relevance and improve search visibility.

Blogging and Local News

Leverage your blog to post about local events, news, and stories. This not only helps with local SEO but also engages your audience and establishes your business as a local authority.

Local Events and Promotions

Promote local events and special offers on your website and social media channels. Highlighting community involvement and exclusive deals can drive local traffic and improve your local SEO.

6. Managing Location-Based Schema Markup

What is Schema Markup?

Schema markup is a type of code added to your site to help search engines understand the context of your content. For local SEO, it can enhance the visibility of your business information in search results.

Implementing Schema Markup

Add location-specific schema markup to your website using tools like Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper. Ensure each location’s page includes the appropriate local business schema to improve local search visibility.

Testing and Validation

Utilize Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to test and validate your schema markup. This helps ensure that search engines correctly interpret your business information.

7. Leveraging Local Link Building

Importance of Local Backlinks

Local backlinks from reputable local businesses, organizations, and media can enhance your local SEO. They signal to search engines that your business is an integral part of the local community.

Strategies for Earning Local Backlinks

Engage with local businesses, sponsor community events, and contribute to local publications to earn valuable backlinks. Building relationships with local social media influencers and organizations can also lead to quality backlinks.

Monitoring Backlinks

Track your backlink profile using tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush. Regularly review and analyze your backlinks to ensure they are high-quality and relevant to your local SEO efforts.

8. Using Social Media for Local SEO

Local Social Media Strategies

Utilizing Social media strategies can also help promote your local locations through platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Share location-specific content and engage with your local audience to enhance your local SEO.

Engagement and Interaction

Interact with your local followers by responding to comments, messages, and reviews. Engaging with your audience helps create a strong local presence and improves your local SEO.

Local Social Media Ads

Utilize targeted ads to reach your target audience and potential customers in specific locations. Local social media ads can boost visibility and drive traffic to your physical locations or website.

9. Tracking and Analyzing Local SEO Performance

Key Metrics to Track

Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as local search rankings, website traffic, click-through rates, and conversions. Tracking these metrics helps you identify the effectiveness of your local SEO efforts.

Tools for Analysis

Use tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and local SEO tracking tools to analyze your performance. These tools provide insights into how well your local SEO strategy is working and where improvements are needed.

Adjusting Strategies

Based on performance data, adjust your local SEO strategies to address any issues or capitalize on opportunities. Regularly updating and refining your approach ensures continued success in managing local SEO for multiple locations.

Conclusion

In summary, optimizing local SEO for multiple locations involves a combination of accurate GMB listings, local keyword targeting, citation building, localized content, schema markup, local backlinks, social media engagement, and performance tracking. Implementing these strategies can significantly enhance your local search visibility and drive more traffic to your locations.

Don’t wait to improve your local SEO! Get in touch with GoMarketing for a free proposal and discover how we can help you excel with your business. Call 805-413-7893 or email us at info@GOMarketing.com. We’re here to help you achieve local SEO success!

Digital Marketing + Advertising That Doesn’t Break The Bank

Are you a small or medium-sized business looking for new, cost-effective marketing initiatives to add to your current strategies and campaigns? Believe it or not, you don’t always have to increase your marketing expenses to expand your reach or exposure. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box. For over 15 years, GoMarketing has remained committed to online growth and reputation for businesses across all industry sectors–from home services digital marketing to healthcare and real estate. As a full-service digital marketing and advertising agency, we offer campaigns and initiatives that any small business can benefit from, including:

• SEO
• Local Marketing
• Social Media
• Link Building
• Content Marketing
• Pay-Per-Click
• Facebook Ads
• Press Releases + Earned Media
• Video Marketing
• Web Design + Development
• E-Commerce
• Software + Apps

If you’re a small business, learn SEO and new approaches you can take to maintain and even increase your brand awareness onscreen and off screen!

Gear Up With Guerilla Marketing

Guerilla marketing is a form of advertising and brand exposure that seeks to surprise your target audience(s). Instead of requiring a big budget, the success of a guerilla marketing campaign will depend on the amount of creativity, imagination and originality that goes into it. The more creative the ideas your marketing team can generate, the more your business will stand apart from other local competitors and even bigger corporate entities. Here are some guerilla marketing ideas you can try for yourself:

• Create eye-catching art with chalk outside your brick-and-mortar store.
• Hit the pavement and ask potential customers to use your product by means of an undercover agent or someone standing outside your store.
• Organize a flash mob to generate crowd attention and promote awareness of your brand.

Expand Your Offerings (And Sources Of Income)

During a lull or slower season for your small business, promoting the same old services isn’t going to cut it. This is not a matter of the medium (i.e. your website or social media); it’s a matter of the focus of your content. If this is the case for your local brand, you should consider diversifying your offerings and sources of income.

Get Social

According to the Pew Research Center Report of Social Media Usage, over two-thirds of American adults use social media now in 2019, which is ten times more than just ten years ago.
Depending on your industry and niche, your business should post and interact on the social media platforms your target audience(s) uses the most, including but not limited to:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Reddit
• LinkedIn
• Google Plus
• Snapchat.

Instead of creating an account on every single social media platform, we recommend choosing 1 – 3 to master and build your digital brand.

Bonus Tip: Social media platforms are also a great tool for researching trends when trying to appeal to new and existing target customers!

Consider Content Marketing

These days, people not only look for information on the internet but also products and services As a result, potential customers AND Google prioritize valuable content from businesses online. There are many ways to go about content marketing to increase your brand’s domain authority and exposure such as: blogs, videos, podcasts, infographics, and/or articles for third-party platforms. This last approach leverages your business as an expert while you benefit from the free web traffic.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to create all content in-house. Consider hiring freelance writers, graphic designers, local agencies, and/or personal assistants. You can also repurpose old content and give it a new spin to keep your business relevant.

Free Contests + Giveaways

It’s no secret that everyone loves free stuff. Be generous with your audience by setting up contests and giveaways that offer discounts or fun items. This opportunity helps your business in three ways: gaining goodwill, building brand awareness, and connecting with potential customers. Keep in mind that free giveaways don’t have to be costly. They can even incorporate valuable content as the reward (i.e. online ebooks, white papers, checklists, and etc.).

For physical gifts to give away, people tend to enjoy to small items such as balloons, smartphone wipes, key chains, fridge magnets, pens and notepads. Remember: you want to choose items that are easy to put your logo and branding on.

Partner Up With Local Businesses

If you’re a local business with a smaller marketing budget, it just makes sense to partner with other nearby businesses such as manufacturers, suppliers, vendors, and more. This is not only a win-win for both businesses by increasing exposure for each brand, it also adds proven credibility when another business recommends you. Some examples of savvy partnership ideas include:

• Exchange customer lists with a local business and offering commission for every sale they make on your behalf. Just make sure that you have verified permission from your customers to share their contact information!
• With direct mail, offer to share postage costs and include your flyer with the other businesses’ mail. If the other business has a physical retail space, ask to put your business cards in their customer waiting area–if applicable.
• Don’t be afraid to seek out partners within your existing customer base. You can jumpstart a referral rewards program where you reward your customers for referring friends, families, and acquaintances.

Enhance Your Reputation With Earned Media

Ending up in the local news is another opportunity for free exposure and third-party validation. Here are some ideas for appealing to local news outlets and reporters looking for timely and relevant happenings that people want to read or hear about.

• Give back to the community in some way, and send out a press release a couple weeks before the event or donation to generate awareness. For example, some innovative hairdressers have offered free haircuts to the homeless in their locale.
• Sponsor an event by donating your products or services as giveaways or prizes–your business can even offer to host a contest or charitable event at your brick-and-mortar location.
• Nominate yourself for a business contest or award–even if you don’t win, you will gain exposure just for being a valid contender!

Smart + Savvy Email Campaigns

Emailing your customer base is a great way to stay in touch, send reminders, promote sales, and offer special coupons and savings. Be sure to leave a clipboard and pen out on your front desk to collect contact information at your physical location, and always remember to ask for emails on any online forms. Even though social media has become widespread for networking and sharing information, email still remains the most effective way to reach people online and maintain your customer base digitally.

Sending out the occasional newsletter or sale announcement keeps you fresh in people’s minds, making your products ever accessible. When customers receive a coupon delivered straight to their inbox, they’re likely to click through to the site and/or print the coupon for their next store visit. Plus, it doesn’t cost your business any physical resources or capital to send that email in the first place.

Bonus Tip: Create a unique, eye-catching email signature complete with a call-to-action (CTA) or click-through button to grab people’s attention. Your signature will show up on any email you send, even if you’re just sending an update, like announcing holiday hours or a reminder in regards to a new policy. Even if you’re not directly selling something in your email, that signature is a way to build brand visibility!

SEO For Success

As you probably know from your own experiences with Google, you’re more likely to click on (and buy from) the first few links on that first search engine results page (SERP). That’s why it’s important for your business to make it to the top search results and maintain a strong SEO strategy to keep that spot.

SEO stands for search engine optimization, and it is essential for any modern business’ successful digital marketing strategy. Good SEO tactics help increase your overall web traffic and visibility, which will translate to better lead generation and more sales. The first step in any SEO strategy involves researching the high-ranking keywords that your audience is searching for on platforms like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, and then incorporating them effectively into your web content and website (but avoid keyword stuffing). This approach allows search engine algorithms to prioritize your business’ URLs and content, slowly building your domain authority over time.

Whether your in-house marketing and/or executive team handles SEO strategy or you outsource it to an agency or consultant, it is a worthy long-term investment for your business that costs less than traditional advertising.

Boost Your Business With Google AdWords

Google is a great resource for small business owners. For any local business, we always recommend claiming your Google My Business Listing, so you can show up on the maps generated for searches made in your immediate area. In addition to gaining a verified listing with the largest search platform in the world, your business will also have access to Google Adwords via your business’ Google account. One of the biggest advantages of utilizing Google Adwords is that it allows businesses to set their own budget and pay as they go.

You’ve probably already seen Google Adwords in action–you just might not have realized it! Google advertisements include search result ads that rank #1 on a SERP, video and display ads (which typically appear in your sidebar and YouTube videos), and in-app ads (for mobile device users). If you use AdWords correctly, your business can increase visibility and awareness on desktops, laptops, and smartphones without overdoing it–or over-paying.

Additionally, Google AdWords offers its account users a library of resources that can help business owners and executives with choosing the best keywords visual layouts when just starting out. Once you’ve learned how to make the most effective ads for your business, Google AdWords will walk you through actually creating one and launching an official campaign!

Video Marketing

Second place to Google, YouTube is the next largest search platform in the U.S., making it a great way to reach new customers while maintaining your current audience and fan base. From how-to and product videos to behind-the-scenes footage, YouTube is a great tool for producing content that engages your audience.

Although a YouTube profile and account for any individual or business is free, you will want to create quality video content that is high-res and appealing to users ready to watch. As its own search platform, YouTube better promotes content that makes it easy for its algorithm to categorize, so your SEO strategy should incorporate YouTube’s guidelines for overall success with the fastest branch of digital marketing.

Customer Review Management

Word-of-mouth advertising and social proof are alive and well in the Digital Age with online reviews and platforms dedicated to them such as Yelp. This corner of any business’ online presence is often neglected, but ensuring that your business has plenty of favorable reviews and ratings for others to see is a key tactic for any strong online presence.

That’s why we recommend that all small and local businesses claim their profile, add their location, upload pictures, and most importantly, respond to all reviews—both positive and negative. Remaining active on review sites will show any current and potential customers that you care deeply about customer service and that your business is proactive even when it makes mistakes.

Bonus Tip: Also, don’t be afraid to ask your customers to leave your reviews on Yelp or Facebook!

Trustworthy Is Key

These days, more people are using the internet to solve problems and find solutions. That’s why it’s important for your business to have the answers and share them via your website, online forums, or social media platforms. Not only does this build your own digital presence, it positions you as an expert that people can trust and turn to when they need it.

As part of your market research, try to figure out where exactly on the Web your customers like to ask questions and solve problems, which can be a Facebook group, Reddit, Quora, or an industry-specific online forum/community. A great way to subtly promote your business and increase your overall exposure and reach is to remain active on these platforms by answering specific questions and/or facilitating discussions.

Remember: Don’t spam online communities with heavy-handed business promotions. Providing valuable content is the way to establish and maintain trust among your digital audience(s). This way, they’ll remember to come to you with the next industry-specific question or dilemma they face!

Do you have any additional questions about how to better market or advertise your local business on a budget? Talk to our savvy marketing managers today about cost-effective digital marketing solutions that can help grow your business! Call GoMarketing at 805.413.7893.

Growing Your Business All Year Round

As your Southern California digital marketing and advertising experts, the GoMarketing team has worked with small and medium-sized businesses all over Ventura and Los Angeles County. One of the challenges many local businesses face today is remaining relevant via digital content and online presence. A couple of the most common questions our marketing managers receive from our clients include:

• In what ways can I truly make the most of my business’ slower season?
• How do I keep growing my business during lulls and slower markets?

More often than not, smaller businesses will want to pause their digital marketing services when cutting their expenses during a slower season. However, this short-term solution can do more harm than good for your SEO and overall online presence in the long run.

Rather than neglecting your digital marketing efforts, we have some savvy suggestions for your business, so you can keep growing amidst lulls and slower traffic. Read on to learn how to bolster your business all year round!

Marketing For More Business Tomorrow

When your local business hits a wall during slower months and seasons, it may seem like SEO and web traffic aren’t reaping the returns you hoped it would. However, online exposure is critical for smaller brands such as yourself. When business plateaus, it’s time to double your efforts onscreen and off screen. Here’s how you can continue to boost your brand throughout the year–straight from the digital marketing experts at GoMarketing!

Expand Your Offerings (And Sources Of Income)

During a lull or slower season for your small business, promoting the same old services isn’t going to cut it. This is not a matter of the medium (i.e. your website or social media); it’s a matter of the focus of your content. If this is the case for your local brand, you should consider diversifying your offerings and sources of income.

Remember:

Cutting expenses too drastically during slower months may inhibit your business’ growth and ability to prepare for your busier and busiest seasons. Instead of simply reducing expenses, try thinking of new ideas to earn more income.

Allow your small business to expand even during the off-season with some new offering and earning opportunities such as these:

• Construction companies can add insulation to homes during the winter season.
• Accountants can help other businesses with their payroll or bookkeeping during their busier seasons.
• Retailers can sell beach-themed products or merch in preparation for summer.
• HVAC companies can offer preventative maintenance and preparation during the autumn and spring for months with more extreme temperatures.
• Property management companies can offer additional resources or merch at slower moving periods for rental markets such as autumn and winter.

Keep in mind that your business ought to test out newer services and offerings, so you can streamline the additional labor and resources these earning opportunities can require. While you should definitely generate new ideas for promoting your business and increasing your income during lulls, avoid overextending you and your staff when it comes to new products and services and untapped markets.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

When your small business encounters a lull, it is also a slower season for your local competitors. Reaching potential leads and customers while your competition is quiet can give your business an advantage that pays off during peak season. Even during slower months, don’t be afraid to start a conversation with your target audience on digital platforms. Consider the following campaigns that will sustain interest in your brand all year round:

• Exclusive pricing for social media followers and/or email contacts
• Sneak peeks at products, services, and/or promotions before your busy season
• Loyalty and rewards programs that will boost your cash flow for the rest of the year

Research Trends

After your peak season(s) is a great time and opportunity for your team to conduct market research that will prepare you for the upcoming year. These days, social media is an invaluable tool for remaining relevant when it comes to new trends and cultural shifts. From new devices and gadgets to the latest and greatest in entertainment, online channels are a resource for your business to stay aware and fresh.

Depending on the social media platforms your business is signed up with, here is a small guide for accessing more information about content, products, and services that are in high-demand through these public forums!

Twitter

Upon logging into Twitter, you’ll see a sidebar to the left labeled “Trends for You,” which is a curated channel for trending products and what people are talking about the most. For further research, simply type in different subjects related to your particular industry or niche such as “property management” or “A/C maintenance”, and you’ll be able to see what others are saying about these topics on Twitter.

Facebook

Undoubtedly the most popular social media platform, Facebook also includes a trending section accessible from the right sidebar of your dashboard. Due to this platform’s prevalence and focus on connecting people (rather than ideas), your business will be able to find popular pages or groups that will help your business better reach and appeal to target markets.

Pinterest

Relevant as ever, many people use their Pinterest profiles as a visual inspiration board to save products, services, and ideas that they love for themselves and friends. To use this channel as a research tool, just type in something that describes your brand offering to see what people are “pinning” and saving to their own profiled to get an idea about what is popular in your niche.

When in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask your audience about what type of content they want to see or what product/services are their most favorite. You can do this in the form of surveys or polls on Facebook or Instagram!

Keep Your Home Services Businesses Operating All Year

Even in Southern California, business tends to slow down for home service enterprises during the colder months of autumn and winter. Give your small business a competitive edge by tapping into service offerings that accommodate wintertime demands. You might be surprised by how many cold(er) season services naturally coincide with your main offering(s).

If you’re a local home service company looking to stay relevant throughout autumn and winter, try the following ideas to increase exposure–and profits!

• Holiday Light Installation
• Building Interior Rehabilitation
• Home Energy Audits
• Adding Extra Insulation
• Additional Services That Help Reduce Utility Bills

Get Strategic About Your Digital Marketing

Rather than canceling or pausing your digital marketing efforts during a business slump, try spending more time on your strategy so that it is optimized for converting your ideal customer. This will increase the probability and occurrence of new and returning customers spending more on additional services, retaining them for future solutions, and generating positive reviews and referrals. In addition to implementing a rewards or loyalty program, consider highlighting products/services that are natural upsells.

Make Time For Trade Shows + Conferences

Let’s face it: during a slower month or season, you and your staff will have a bit more time on your hands. Consider further investing this free time into your business in the form of trade shows, which are wonderful opportunities for networking and referrals. Keep in mind that fellow exhibitors can serve as valuable inspiration for ideas and/or solutions that can help cut costs or make your business run more efficiently, leading to long-term cash flow improvements that reduce seasonal impact and fluctuations in the long run.

Set-Up Events And/Or Teach Seminars

Whether your business is product or service-based, your staff has valuable knowledge and first-hand experience that can help potential customers and position your brand as an industry expert. Engage your audience during slower months by providing answers to their burning questions via local classes or seminars. Keep in mind that setting up a teaching event can not only attract more exposure and work, it can also be an opportunity for revenue and profit.

If you’re a small business with a particular industry niche, consider the following ideas for increasing knowledge and brand awareness:

• Speaking at a local community college
• Holding classes for industry newcomers
• Creating events that educate consumers
• Facilitating classes for DIY (Do-It-Yourself) projects
• Hosting events for fellow industry professionals
• Throwing open houses or mixers for consumers, brokers or agents

Join A Professional Group + Association

The benefits of reciprocity and fellowship that association memberships and partnerships offer can be invaluable in helping you gain new customers and spread brand awareness–not to mention enhancing your business’ reputation. Consider joining up with your city’s Chamber of Commerce and/or attending meetings or conferences held by national/regional industry groups for further networking opportunities!

Additional Off-Season Ideas

Need some smaller scale seasonal marketing ideas on-the-go? Here are some quick ideas for your business to try when it encounters a slow period or lull!

• Off-Season Specials
• Flash Sales
• One-Day Sales
• Limited Time Offers
• Upsells
• Rewards
• Loyalty Packages
• Early Bird Specials + Discounts
• Special Contests + Giveaways
• Referral + Rewards Programs
• Discount Coupons
• Gift Card Rewards
• Grow Online Reviews + Testimonials
• Special Events For Loyal Customers
• Sneak Previews
• Expand Geo-Target Markets
• Consumer To Corporate
• Partner Up With Local Businesses
• Low Or No-Cost Marketing
• Email Newsletters + Marketing

Do you have any additional questions about how to market your small business during slow months and seasons? Contact GoMarketing today with any inquiries or to learn more about our digital marketing and advertising solutions! Call us at 805.413.7893.

How BERT uses AI and Natural Language Programming to Understand Complex Queries

The Google BERT algorithm change focuses on one main idea: Better understanding of complex search queries from users. Older versions of Google would omit certain words from a long query, and product search results that do not match the intention of the searcher. BERT takes ALL the words into account of the context of the query. It then uses an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and Natural Language Programming (NLP) to ‘understand’ the intent of the search query and deliver the true results the AI ‘thinks’ the User is interested in. Google says only one in ten results will typically change on the average search. The more complex the query the more results may change due to Google BERT.

Google BERT in Plain English, please!

Well, if I haven’t lost you yet, great! I had to write that above like that as Google and Google BERT want blog posts to get to the point right away if you want your post to rank, so I did that.

Now we can get real on this Google BERT change, cool? Good. Here goes.

Long search queries are a nightmare for AI to understand. Language and the meaning of words change as they are used in a sentence. An early word in the search has a meaning as you read it, but it changes when you are done reading it in the full context in the full sentence.

Older versions of the Google Search Algorithm would ignore or devalue certain words in a long-tail query. Because of this, many times the results were incorrect as language is very fluid and every word HAS meaning in a query. Google understands this and with Google BERT, seeks to provide more accurate results.

Is Google Bert update helpful?

Here are a few examples:

Example 1: If someone searches for “2019 brazil traveler to usa need a visa”.

With BERT Update, Google Search is able to grasp that its related to Brazilian traveling to USA. Before Google returned results related to U.S. citizens traveling to Brazil. So yes Google is now focussing more on Long Tail Keywords.

Image Source: Google

Example – 2: Lets say user search for “do estheticians stand a lot at work”

You can see that result after the Google Bert update is much more relevant then before.

Image Source: Google

Example – 3: One more “can you get medicine for someone pharmacy”

It is clear from the results that brent results are better

Image Source: Google

Example – 4: Good example – “math practice books for adults”

Now you can see results after brent update are more relevant to grown ups.

Image Source: Google

What Does Google BERT Mean for SEO Marketing?

That depends, if you are doing things right, nothing really. If you are trying to cut corners, life may get harder for your marketing programs.

With an emphasis on true linguistic meaning, Google BERT increases the value of great original content provided in an easily understandable way. So, if you, like GoMarketing writes strong original content for your site (as we do for our Client’s sites) you will be FINE! If you try to keyword stuff and write awkward sentences just to have more keywords on the page, then you may suffer lower rankings.

Conclusion: Google BERT Justifies the Righteous

“Google is nothing if not consistent and transparent for marketers. For years they have been saying, ‘Content is King’ and write good useful stuff and we will rank you well. Play word games with us and you won’t rank as well, sorry but you did this to yourself. This is something I truly love about Google. They make our work easy. If we right good quality clean understandable content, our Client’s sites will rank very high. This, of course, infers you are doing the other things properly with your website like making it secure and fast. You are making it mobile friendly and fast. You are sharing your knowledge with others and gaining meaningful links to and from your site to other sites that have value to your visitors. It’s the whole tool kit of proper SEO, but the FOUNDATION is great original content.” – Richard Uzelac

I hope this helps you!

Richard Uzelac, CEO of GoMarketing Inc.

About GoMarketing

Based out of Thousand Oaks, California, GoMarketing uses the following mission statement to deliver digital marketing results to their clients: “Understand. Engage. Succeed. Grow.” Acting as digital marketing professionals within a wide range of industry sectors, the GoMarketing team specializes in many Services, including; SEO, content strategy, website design and development, and more. GoMarketing provides a full suite of marketing solutions that generate online leads and sales for businesses throughout the country. For more information about their custom marketing plans, contact GoMarketing directly at 805.413.7893 or visit GoMarketing.